Category Archives: Marijuana

You may recall that I was * cough * less-than-enthusiastic about Phil Murphy winning the recent gubernatorial primary in New Jersey. I was, and still remain, skeptical about an ex-Goldman Sachs man who bought the loyalty of local Democrats with large donations and poured $16 million of his own dollars into the primary race. But, since winning the office last November, and replacing Chris Christie, Murphy has made some welcomed moves such as supporting a $15 minimum wage, the legalization of marijuana for recreational use, more funding for public schools, and help for those facing eviction or foreclosure, to name …Continue reading →

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) issued the following statement Thursday in response to reports that Attorney General Jeff Sessions will rescind an Obama administration policy that shielded legalized marijuana from federal intervention:

“No, Attorney General Sessions. Marijuana is not the same as heroin. No one who has seriously studied the issue believes that marijuana should be classified as a Schedule 1 drug beside killer drugs like heroin. Quite the contrary. We should allow states the right to move toward the decriminalization of marijuana, not reverse the progress that has been made in recent years.”

Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), a high-profile supporter of Bernie Sanders’ presidential campaign, has been caught on video with $70,000 in drug money. The footage, provided exclusively to The Huffington Post, also captures Rep. Earl Blumenauer, another Oregon Democrat, as well as a prominent local businessman, Tyson Haworth.

The video, however, was not a sting operation run by the Drug Enforcement Administration or FBI. Instead, it’s an effort to highlight a gaping and dangerous hole in national cannabis policy, if such a thing even exists.

Under federal law, marijuana is a Schedule I controlled substance, meaning it is deemed to be highly dangerous with zero medical benefit. Even in states that have legalized cannabis, such as Oregon, possessing it remains a federal crime, as is possessing any revenue derived from dealings related to it.

That puts businesspeople like Haworth, an owner of Oregon’s Finest and sofresh farms, in tricky territory on a number of fronts. The most glaring danger, highlighted by the video, is that $70,000 in cash sitting on the table in front of Merkley, Haworth and Blumenauer. It’s money that Haworth owes in local taxes, but he can’t cut a check, because banks can’t legally work with drug dealers. Banks tend to take that law seriously when rejecting mom-and-pop pot shops, but somehow manage to look the other way for Mexican drug cartels that funnel billions through those same banks.